As the recession cuts into the sales and profits of companies in every sector, employers are increasingly shrinking their work forces to cut costs. As today's Bureau of Labor Statistics report confirms, the numbers are overwhelming: 4.4 million jobs lost between December 2007 and February 2009.
When workers face job loss, they often don't know where to turn for answers. They may be improperly denied their last paycheck, not given the proper amount of notice, or told by their employer that they cannot collect unemployment benefits. On the Internet, it is very difficult to find websites geared towards newly unemployed workers, to help them understand their rights and protections and advocate for themselves. This is no longer the case, thanks to the launch yesterday of a new website by Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ), Can My Boss Do That? (www.CanMyBossDoThat.com).
The website's creator and director, Anne Janks, says she's been working on this project for a couple of years and decided to launch it now because of the economic crisis. "Everybody knows what a crisis this," said Janks. "The first step is for people to understand what rights they do and do not have." Unlike sites that came before it that were industry-specific, this website has state-specific information for all 50 states, geared to help real life situations.
Since the economy has started tanking, we have seen an exponential increase in wage and compensation theft, when workers do not receive a final paycheck upon leaving a job. One such story was shared during a telephone press conference to launch the site yesterday, by worker Joe Buczek from Tampa, FL. Buczek was laid off from his job at a gourmet food store--and then told he could collect his last paycheck in groceries. Buczek said he did not know his rights to a final paycheck, how to apply for unemployment insurance and was unaware he had any protections.
This new website will act as a resource for workers (like Joe) who find themselves in this situation and aren't sure what they can do about it. It will also provide visitors with information about what they don't have a right to do in the workplace - so people can know where they are not protected. There are a lot of misconceptions that exist surrounding people's rights at work, including those who belong to a union. For example, many people think:
• because you're part-time, you can't file for unemployment (you can); and that
• everyone has a right to freedom speech at work (you don't)
During the press call, the Rev. C.J. Hawking, pastor of Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park, Illinois, said the website will provide accurate information that will provide the kind of help her members and millions of Americans in various stages of employment and unemployment need.
"Places of worship are seeing a lot of workers in isolation - workers feel shame they've been laid off, and also some righteous anger. They feel downtrodden. People have been turning to their house of worship because of this crisis," said Rev. Hawking. "In one Chicago-area church last week, they took in 14 new members. All of them said they were experiencing a job loss and that's what brought them into the church. The faith community provides a sense of community and helps dissipate the isolation but we also want to help educate workers on their rights."
Work rules, hiring and firing, work safety, pay, benefits, time off, and workers' rights are all concerns addressed on this new website, designed to ensure that all workers are treated justly. So spread the word and make sure to check out the site for yourself: www.CanMyBossDoThat.com
Flickr photo courtesy of khalilshah, under Creative Commons license.
